"I’ve read about that," said Alistar, perking up at a topic that he very much enjoyed. "Aglain’s companions were so of the most renowned warriors in history. It’s a bit embarrassing, but it’s pretty exciting to think that two of my ancestors were such people."
"Which ans that you have a high chance of becoming a magus in the future. There are less than a hundred magi in the kingdom, and most are only at the first tier. So long as you can reach the third tier, then you’ll have a good chance at becoming a court mage for a high-ranking noble within most kingdoms."
"What tier are you at, Teacher?"
"I’m a fourth-tier magus, one tier above Alder and three above your uncle."
"You’re a fourth-tier? That’s amazing!"
And Alder was a third-tier? A thought passed through Alistar’s mind, that he knew quite a few impressive people.
"That’s nothing special when compared to elsewhere within the empire. Take the Land of One Hundred Counties, for instance. Almost all of the rulers there have high arcanites in their service. You should know that while magi and high arcanites are technically on the sa level in their respective ranking systems, the latter are far rarer and much more capable. They’re more comparable to an arch magus in the value that they represent to the state."
Alistar had read that Providence Region was the most prosperous part of the empire, which still seed to be the case despite the fact that his source was a dated old book that he’d found in the library here at ho.
"I’ll work hard, then."
After talking with his teacher for a short while longer, Alistar bade him farewell and then sprinted back to the manor house, stopping by at the kitchens to fix himself a hefty snack before retreating to his room to eat it. He was quite exhausted after staving off the cold with his swordsman’s aura for so long, and he would likely have to rely on it for the rest of the afternoon once he left the estate to go et up with his friends. As soon as he finished eating, Alistar swapped outfits and retrieved his mother’s locket, slipping it around his neck and tucking it beneath the thick fabric of the heavy tunic that he’d just changed into. Next, he snatched up his practice sword and hurried upstairs.
A short while later, he was following the tree-lined pathway that connected Caedmon’s estate to Mayhaven, breath visible in the cold air as he left the last of the bare-branched oaks at his back. He’d brought a small sack with him, within which was a large amount of dried at and salted fish, along with a jar of raisins and a couple loaves of bread. Zech had ford a habit of bringing food from his family’s tavern for them to snack on after training sessions, sothing that Alistar felt a bit guilty over. Lately, he’d taken it upon himself to bring sothing along each ti, though the triplets had said that they would drop by at so point today so he had made sure to pack more than enough food to feed a handful of people.
It’s quite cold today, thought Alistar as he made his way through the market square, which was empty save for a few stall owners that were either dedicated to their businesses or desperate to eke out even the smallest amount of inco. Perhaps he should have worn a jacket? He could always buy one while he was in town, but he didn’t like being loose with his coin purse if it wasn’t necessary. If I co to regret it, then let it be a lesson for the future.
Even though he lacked a coat, his clothes were quite thick, even his stockings. Since most of his life had passed within the cold confines of Crystellum where he’d hardly had any fabric to clothe himself, Alistar was usually the last person in a room to experience a shiver. Despite this, the more he felt the icy touch of the wind, the more he desired to don another layer.
The old lady that sold sugar sticks was one of the few stall owners around, all of whom he was familiar with after having perused their wares on many occasions over the past three and a half years. He was sure to send them each a friendly wave, all of which were reciprocated with kind smiles. Leaving the market area, he caught sight of a short figure that was clearing snow from the wooden porch of a small tavern. Quaking hands held a ratty old broom, a listless expression on the face of the horned youth as he continued to sweep away in a thodical manner.
"Hello Ruk," he called out, hurrying over to talk with the young Drunish man. "How are you today?"
"Alistar." Ruk’s lips tugged up at the corners, but only slightly. "As good as any other day. How about you?"
"The sa for , I suppose. I’m on my way to et Zech and Jaden."
"You lot sure love your swordsmanship, don’t you? That’s nice, having sothing you like to do that connects you with others."
Ruk had heard many of Alistar’s sparring stories, a topic that he enjoyed listening to and one that Alistar loved to talk about.
Sensing a bit of sadness in the young man’s voice, Alistar changed the subject. "Is it just the tavern you’re clearing today?"
Ruk shook his head. "I didn’t have to ask around much this morning before about a dozen people ca by to hire on. Seems like most folks can’t be bothered to clear snow when it’s so cold out."
Seeing the subtle shivers that raked the thinly-clothed youth, Alistar gazed up and down the street to see that the areas out front of several properties had already been cleared, though there were still dozens that were decorated in white.
"Which other lots do you still have to do?"
After hearing which ones, Alistar ran from one location to the next where he lted all of the snow in question and then froze the resultant water into little blocks of ice that he left sitting off to the side of each porch.
"Bless your heart, Alistar," said Ruk, eyes filled with gratitude as he accepted so dried at with a shiver. "If it weren’t for people like you..." Shaking his head while blinking away an unsuspecting tear, Ruk thanked him once again and then turned to leave.
"Hold on!" Alistar placed a silver half-lucet in the young man’s hand, hurriedly stepping back to avoid Ruk’s attempts at returning it.
"Alistar, this..."
"Get yourself a jacket, Ruk. It’s too cold to go sleeveless in the winter, even for an Alpen like yourself."
As with the Dauls, Alpen were a Drunish race that had an affinity for fla elental magic. Even with his magics sealed, the blood that flowed through Ruk’s veins was higher in temperature than that of other people, which made him less susceptible to the winter air’s stinging bite.
Alistar bade Ruk farewell after the young Drunish man had thanked him with the utmost sincerity, the two agreeing to talk at a later date. Resuming his walk, Alistar spotted two familiar faces a ways down the street and so sprinted over with a light smile on his face.
"Hey Alistar! My instincts tell you’ve got so good things in that bag."
Handing Woods the sack of food, Alistar glanced between him and Corrie before speaking in a conversational tone. "What are you two up to today?"
Corrie looked at Woods as if waiting for the other boy to offer an explanation.
"We were actually about to stop by at your place to see if you might peel yourself away from your studies to co fish at the river." Looking through the sack with hungry eyes, Woods settled on a strip of dried at. "We were just at the Lawson’s tavern and his mom said that he wasn’t around, so I figure he’s already at the Greyline. Jaden left ho a while back, so he’s probably with him."
"Fishing?"
"Yep! Even if the water’s frozen over, it shouldn’t be a problem with you around."
"Are you heading there right now?"
"We’re gonna go see what Helen and Ely are up to first, then we’ll go. Wanna co?"
He shook his head. "Like you said, Zech and Jaden should be at the river already. I’m on my way to et up with them for a spar."
"Why does it always have to be sparring?" Speaking flippantly, Woods rifled through the bag and withdrew another two strips of at along with a sizeable hunk of cheese. "Well, we’ll be sure to co bother you guys at so point. I know Lily wanted to give Jaden sothing, so the triplets will be down there in a little bit. Hey, what’s Anne up to? Should we go get her?"
Alistar accepted the food back from Woods and offered a strip of at to Corrie, who took it with a silent nod and then ate it in a quiet manner.
"Anne said she was going to spend the day with Lessa, so they might show up on their own."
He hoped that they would, as Lessa had seed a bit bothered as of late. She hadn’t visited the manor much over the past several weeks, which left him wondering if everything was okay on her end.
I’ll have to ask her about it later.
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